1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an optical disk drive, and more particularly, to an optical disk drive which removes a static electricity of an optical disk.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIGS. 1-3 show a conventional optical disk drive adopted in a portable information processor such as a notebook computer. The optical disk drive includes a case 10 which is installed in a main body (not shown) of the information processor and a try 20 which is slidably installed in the case 10. Various circuit boards 11 are installed on the case 10. The tray 20 includes a turntable 21 which accommodates an optical disk D and an optical pickup 22 which accesses the optical disk D to exchange optical signals.
Where the tray 20 slides in the case 10, the tray 20 is locked as a hook step 20a formed on a bottom surface of the tray 20 is hooked by a hook portion 13a of a rotary lever 13 connected to a solenoid 12. Thus, where the optical disk D is placed on the turntable 21 and the tray 20 is pushed into the case 10, as shown in FIG. 2, the hook step 20a and the hook portion 13a are locked together so as to stably record or reproduce information on or from the optical disk D.
Where the tray 20 is ejected from the case 10, the solenoid 12 is driven to rotate the rotary lever 13 in a direction in which the hook step 20a is unlocked from the hook portion 13a. A spring 23 is provided on a lower surface of the tray 20. The spring 23 is elastically deformed where the tray 20 slides in, and is elastically returned to the original state and pushes the tray 20 outside the case 10 where the hook portion 13a disengages with the hook step 20a. That is, the tray 20 is ejected by a restoring force of the spring 23.
Reference 30 denotes a disk stopper that provides a braking force to the tray 20, so as to prevent the tray 20 from being ejected beyond a predetermined distance, as the disk stopper 30 makes a frictional contact with an edge of the optical disk D, as shown in FIG. 3. Where the tray 20 slides into the case 10, the edge of the optical disk D contacts the disk stopper 30. Since the braking force is generated due to the frictional contact, the tray 20 can be pushed into the case 10 with a small amount of force. The disk stopper 30 is made of a material such as a rubber, a plastic, a vinyl, a cloth, and a leather.
Where the optical disk D rotates at a high speed in the optical disk driver having the above structure, a static electricity may be generated on a surface of the optical disk D due to a friction with air. Where the static electricity is generated on the surface of the optical disk D, the static electricity attracts a foreign material such as dust so that the surface of the optical disk D is easily contaminated by the foreign material. As a result, the foreign material may hinder a recording or a reproducing operation with respect to the optical disk D. Where the amount of the static electricity is small, it may not adversely affect the optical disk D. However, as the optical disk D is repeatedly used, the static electricity is accumulated and a degree of dust attachment is increased. In this case, a recording and/or a reproduction operation may be adversely affected by the foreign material.